One Thousand Paper Cranes
by mysterious intentions
Summary: Collection of one-shots on snippets of Lelouch and C.C.'s immortal lives together. LelouchxCC
1. Completely Unnecessary

Author's Note: So this idea of "post R2 immortal life" is probably not original at all, but well isn't it every LelouchxCC fan's dream for them to have their happy ending of living together for all of eternity? ^^ It's Japanese legend that folding a thousand paper cranes will be able to grant a wish, and I doubt that C.C.'s wish is really to die, but rather to feel truly loved and cared for. And also I have no other inspiration for a title so yeah.

Disclaimer: Do not own any Code Geass but maybe if I folded 100000 cranes I could...

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"This is completely unnecessary," she droned, with only the slightest twitch of her eye as the hydrogen peroxide made contact with her skin.

Lelouch ignored her, brushing away some of her long chartreuse hair to inspect a particularly nasty wound on her shoulder. When he used the pads of his fingers to apply pressure on the surrounding skin, blood spurted out from the opening into a bulging sphere. He sighed, running a wash cloth under the faucet and wringing out the excess water. "C.C. only you would do something like this."

She turned her head away as Lelouch gently scrubbed at her gash. "Really, would I be the only one? The world is a big place Lelouch, and the last day to redeem the limited edition Cheese-kun calendar _is _today."

"Yes, but would anyone else hotwire a motorcycle,"

A shrug.

"And speed at nearly a hundred miles per hour,"

A glint of amusement dancing in her golden eyes.

"At eleven o' clock at night,"

Another shrug.

"In the midst of a pounding_ thunderstorm_,"

A grunt that sounded inappropriately smug.

"All while balancing a pizza box in one hand, two bottles of Tabasco sauce in the other, and that ridiculous calendar in your mouth. Would anyone else do all this for an utterly useless novelty item?"

A smirk curled up on the edges of her lips, traces of pride glimmering in her eyes.

"Oi! Don't smile at that!" Lelouch berated crossly, rubbing disinfectant on C.C.'s exposed flesh with a bit more force than necessary. "You'd think that with all the time you've been alive you would have gained some common sense. It was inevitable that you would have toppled off the motorcycle and go careening into a side rail."

The green haired girl bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, effectively suppressing a wince as Lelouch sterilized the cut. "Hm. Perhaps next time I'll try steering with the hand holding the Tabasco sauce," she mused.

Lelouch rolled his eyes, another sigh rushing out his lips. He stood up and rummaged through the cabinets for a band-aid; sagging his shoulders as he realized every package had an image of a yellow blob donning an odd black hat as the design.

"Why are you even doing this anyways?" C.C. suddenly asked from her perch on the kitchen counter, the curious raise of her eyebrows betraying her dull monotone.

"Cleaning your wound? Isn't it obvious? You're hurt."

"Isn't it obvious? I'm immortal. I can't die from such a silly wound, or from anything for that matter." She plucked up a clump of her damp hair and examined the tips. Bits of blood clung to the ends of her hair, streaks of the red liquid still shining conspicuously against her green locks.

"Oh just be quiet and be grateful for what I did, if it wasn't for me you'd be hobbling home on one leg until a truck ran you over," Lelouch grumbled as he just short of slapped a large Cheese-kun bandage onto C.C.'s shoulder.

"You didn't have to leave the pizza behind…" A forlorn expression washed over her face. "It was in a box, it didn't have to fit under the umbrella."

"There's no way I could have dragged both you and that pizza box back home. I'm no Suzaku. Or Kallen. Or well basically anyone else with superhuman stamina," Lelouch said, picking up a brush and running it through C.C.'s tangled hair, paying no heed to the blood staining his fingers. "I used to brush Nunnally's hair…it made her feel better," he mumbled, feeling a need to explain himself.

C.C. observed the peaceful face of the Cheese-kun band-aid that was plastered on her shoulder, absently noting how soothing it felt to have someone else comb her hair. "You could have left me, preferably with the umbrella, I would have caught up soon."

"I have not reached the stage of immortality to be so heartless yet," Lelouch dryly replied, "Though living with you may speed up the process."

The witch seemed to not have heard him, or if she did, pointedly disregarded him, and continued where she left off. "This is nothing more than hurt on the outside, it's very easy to fix." She extended her right arm as minor scrapes and bruises on her hand quickly sealed up, leaving sans a scar to even indicate cuts had once existed.

Something clicked inside Lelouch's mind as he remembered a conversation from seemingly another life. His hold on C.C.'s hair loosened and he tilted his head to gaze out the window. White sheets of rain slammed against the windows, pelting through the mesh screen so quickly that water was constantly streaming down the glass. Lighting cracked frequently, illuminating the pitch black sky, with the booming thunder rumbling soon after. All the while the wind rippled through the air and knocked branches against the windows in rhythmic thuds.

How could anyone go into weather like that and not expect anyone to worry about them?

"Then what do you do for the pain that's on the inside?" Lelouch questioned softly, stroking her hair with almost tenderness. For a split second the C.C. in front of him flashed into a different version. Haughty regality to quivering child. Wry smirk to trembling lower lip. Cold eyes to unabashed innocence.

He blinked away the image and shook his head from side to side.

"Pain on the inside?" C.C. repeated, propping her elbow on her knee and leaning forward. "It takes longer, but time heals everything. Once enough time goes by you gradually forget everyone that ever hated you."

"Isn't there another option?" Placing the brush down, Lelouch crawled onto the counter and leaned his back against hers. His shirt immediately moistened and clung to his skin, but he only pressed further into her back and tipped his head against hers.

Mirroring Lelouch, C.C. straightened her back and lolled her head backwards. "Another option? Not that I know of." She fluttered her eyes shut.

A silence lingered between them, the storm rampaging outside causing the ceiling lights to sway slightly.

Lelouch broke the silence with a faint exhale, "What about friends? Someone special that stands beside you," he whispered, echoing the words of a young green-haired slave girl from so long ago. His hands unclasped from his lap and fell towards his side, resting on the smooth granite of their kitchen counter.

C.C. lightly chuckled, her own hand drifting onto the counter. "Where did you ever get such a strange idea Lelouch?"

"A friend."

"Oh really?"

Fingers inched closer to each other.

"Would friends bail you out of jail?"

"They wouldn't have if they knew you'd make them sleep on the floor."

Hands brushed together almost tentatively.

"Would friends come with you to make a giant pizza?"

"They'd be the ones shoving you into the tomato truck."

One hand slid over the other until it was completely enclosed.

"Would friends do completely unnecessary things for each other?"

"Like following that friend into a raging typhoon?"

"Yes, that's completely unnecessary."

"If it could heal the pain inside, even just a little, then yes."

Fingers laced together and smiles curved up on faces.


	2. Under the Blue Sky

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Sunlight glittered over the boundless blue ocean, like millions of scattered diamonds floating on top of a wrinkled blanket. Sounds of the bubbly laughter from children, quiet hiss of receding waves, and on occasion the squawking seagull flapping overhead, meshed together in a strange but perfect combination. From afar the sun-baked sand appeared like a smooth plane, like butter cut cleanly by a knife, but from up close one could clearly see the dents from footprints littered across the sand.

And if one followed a particular track of footprints, the ones that resembled sloppy trudging and dragging of feet to be specific, one would find themselves in front of a certain boy and a certain girl on a nearly entirely yellow blanket, save for a black hat on the top right hand corner. This particular boy wasn't interested in the sparkly ocean, beach soundtrack, or calming strolls on the sand, instead preferring to stiffly sit under the shade provided by a rainbow beach umbrella.

"Lelouch don't be so tense, no one knows who you are," the girl splayed next to him said, twirling a lock of ash brown hair with her index finger.

"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one impaled in front of millions of people," Lelouch grumbled under his breath.

She yawned widely; flipping another page of a magazine Lelouch didn't recall buying or seeing her buy. "Been there, done that. Besides, you have a foolproof disguise."

"C.C. I would hardly call a wig and colored contacts a foolproof disguise. I think those people over there are staring at me…"

The brunette witch didn't bother to lift her head up. "They're girls and they think you're hot," she flitted her amber eyes towards Lelouch's pale, lanky body, "Though I don't see why, your chest is nothing worth mentioning. It looks quite…squishy." A devious grin lit up her face as Lelouch narrowed his eyes, turning away to hide the faintest of blushes.

"Stupid witch…" he retorted limply.

"But surprisingly, blonde hair sort of suits you. It goes well with the green eyes," she managed to say in a monotone that sounded far from a compliment.

"What's more surprising is that you actually have the patience to read something," Lelouch gestured at her open magazine.

"Hm?" C.C. lingered on a page advertising an ice cream sundae decked with strawberries and dribbled chocolate sauce. "Silly Lelouch I'm only looking at the pictures. Though I'll have you know I've read more than ten libraries worth of books, immortality sure broadens your hobbies."

"Stealing being one of them, am I right?" Lelouch questioned as he happened to see a pair of teenage girls dumping out the contents of their purse and frantically sifting through their things.

She followed Lelouch's gaze from the corner of her eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh I'll give it back to them later."

"Like you'll give Ashford Academy back that bathing suit?"

C.C. glanced down at the sapphire one-piece that clung snugly to her skin. "Ah this? They wouldn't miss the few extra I took." She pulled herself upright; her legs tucked under her bottom and her hands sprawled out flat on the magazine's sleek pages. "Why? Does it bother you?" Her voice softened. "Remind you of someone you'd rather not think about?"

"I…" Lelouch trailed off, his lips pursing into a thin line.

She suddenly whipped her head around, startling Lelouch with the intensity of her gaze. _You don't have to finish your sentence, _she seemed to say_. _But as quickly as the fire in here eyes appeared, as quickly as it melted into a coquettish twinkle. "Or maybe you were hoping to see more skin; a one-piece isn't enough for you? Immortal or not, you are still a hormonal little boy."

He sputtered indignantly, effectively snapping out of his trance. "That is certainly not the case!"

Flashing him a cheeky smirk, C.C. slapped the magazine shut and flung it in the general direction of the two girls. She flopped down on her back next to Lelouch, her brown hair spreading out across the blanket. "Would you like to go for a swim Lelouch?"

"I'll pass, the seawater might ruin our disguises," he replied, scratching the back of his dirty blonde hair.

"Fine, how about joining in on that game of volleyball? I'm sure they'd easily welcome us with your supposedly good looks."

Lelouch rolled his eyes, finding the idea of physical activity and even worse, crazy women fawning over him, not appealing. "I'll pass on that as well."

"Lelouch, why are you so dull?"

"C.C., why are we even here?"

"Because the cable is out at our house and I got bored of watching static."

"And you call _my_ life dull?"

"Dull? Your life of playing online chess with strangers over the internet? Be still my beating heart."

"Heart? You actually possess one of those?"

"Oh slip of the tongue, I meant my central processing unit."

Lelouch stifled a chortle, but allowed a smile to grace his lips. "If that is so, then I wish you'd show me your 'off' button some time."

He was answered by a handful of sand chucked at his face. "Oi! Not in the eyes you stupid witch." His attempt to shoot C.C. an icy glare faltered since he was feverishly blinking out specks of sand, instead resembling more of a strangled seizure. "And really? Throwing sand? Even after all this time you're still such a chil- pft pft pft. _C.C._!"

The witch in question had already jumped to her feet and stepped a few meters away from the fuming boy, a beam radiating from her face as she watched Lelouch spit out the prickly sand from his tongue.

"Ohhh no. I am not falling for your stupid game—" The poor boy was abruptly cut off by the wave of sand that collided with his mouth. C.C. stood innocently in front of him, taking a sudden interest in the beautiful cerulean sky. Lelouch glowered at her offending feet and slowly moved his eyes up to her treacherous face, all while ignoring the creamy smoothness of her long legs.

"Still not going to…" He stopped short and immediately pivoted out of the way as C.C. swung back her leg and revved up for another kick. "Okay that's it!" He leapt to his feet and stalked towards her.

Though her expression remained neutral, mirth swarmed in C.C.'s golden eyes as she casually walked backwards. "So paranoid Lelouch, I didn't even kick up anything that time."

"That doesn't mean you weren't about to, witch."

"At least you're no longer rooted in the shade. I was beginning to think you'd melt in the sun, or maybe even sparkle."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

Both immortals were now a scant few meters from the ocean, the rolling tides sloshing around their bare feet. The sand no longer sunk under their weight now that it was colligated with the ocean water to create a firm, dark brown surface.

"Lelouch, isn't it beautiful out here?" C.C. remarked nonchalantly, bending down to scoop up some moist sand into her palms.

Lelouch turned his head, the pungent aroma of the sea breeze flooding through his nostrils distracting him from C.C.'s suspicious actions. "Yeah I guess it is." Unfortunately, Lelouch didn't have much time to soak in the scene as he felt the wind knocked out of his stomach from a wicked curve ball.

When he looked up to issue the witch a scathing glare, she was innocuously humming a tuneless tune and clasping her hands around her back. "You are really infuriating, you know that don't you?" Lelouch bit out, wiping sticky grains of sand off his flat stomach.

"Guns and grenades may break my bones but words will never hurt—" Bewilderment flashed over her face for a split second as sand splattered down her cheek, chunks of it sliding down to the front of her bathing suit. However, the shock was soon replaced by a disquietingly bemused expression, her overwhelming amusement causing Lelouch's stern emerald eyes to waver.

"Are you sure you wanted to do that my silly warlock?" If it was possible, her smirk grew even more demonic.

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_One hour later…_

"I have never felt so embarrassed in my life."

"Oh you exaggerate. The lifeguards didn't lecture us that long."

"But I doubt they ever had to kick out grown people for having a _sandball_ fight."

"Who knows? The world is a big place. And children took part in our sandball fight too."

"Yeah because you used them as _shields_."

"Don't point fingers Lelouch, you used that elderly couple too."

"That's because I tripped over them!"

"Clumsy oaf."

"C.C.! You were the one that pelted me with the barrage of sand balls that made me lose my balance!"

"If you worked on your physical strength that wouldn't have been a problem."

"Ugh."

"We caused a lot of damage today didn't we?"

"Three dislodged umbrellas, a snapped surfboard, a couple cracked toys, and we can't forget everyone on the beach cursing our existence."

"I'm sure it's not _everyone_. I saw a lot of girls checking out your flabby body."

"Ugh."

"…"

"…"

"Hey Lelouch."

"What is it."

"We can still go to other beaches."

"And?"

"And even though I crushed you like a bug, I believe a rematch is in order. I want to not only crush you like a bug again, but this time while wearing steel boots."

"Absolutely terrible way to convey that you had fun today."

"Be a man and accept my challenge."

"…Fine, but only because I plan to shove sand down your throat next time."

"Looking forward to it."

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Author's Note: Yay light-hearted stories about nothing! For future references, whenever they venture outside into public they'll wear disguises since I believe Lelouch is still the poster-child for all things immoral and frowned upon. Thank you to the people who spent a couple seconds favoriting or reviewing! I hope you all found 20$ on the floor! And even if you just read it and did nothing, thank you anyways for stopping by!


	3. Almost Like One

Note: When Lelouch and C.C. venture outside in public they wear disguises. I do know their proper hair and eye colors. :)

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><p>"Oh my <em>god<em> they are so young!"

"Can't be older than their late teens…"

"They look like they're just fresh out of high school!"

"Look how cruel that boy is, walking so far ahead of the mother of his child…that poor girl must be a victim of his abuse."

The boy in question's eyebrows rose towards his hair line, but with his fine tuned patience, completely disregarded their words. Lelouch Vi Britannia always carried himself with graceful poise, no matter what the circumstances, and he certainly wasn't going to be riled by some gossiping wives.

"Yes you may be on to something. That poor, pitiful child. Slaving away for the man she loves and not even a glance back in return!"

Surely loitering on the couch and running up bills faster than weeds cropping up on the lawn couldn't qualify as _slaving away_. Fragments of his calm countenance cracked at the thought. His head creaked to the side, and then he thrust his head back to address the brown-haired girl strolling languidly down the dirt path. "C.C. could you pick up the pace _please_?"

"Wow he doesn't even call her by a name! Stooping to use an abbreviation!" An obnoxious wife chimed in, causing a twitch on the corner of his lips.

When the sound of her footfalls still persisted at a leisurely speed, Lelouch turned around completely, briefly looking down as a toddler bounced back against his leg.

Echoing Lelouch, C.C. halted in her walk, sending him a deviously smug look before she fluttered her eyelids like a newborn doe, brought her hands to the bottom of her lips, and cocked her head a fraction to the side. "Oh but Lelouch-_kun_, couldn't you please slow down just a bit? My feet are so sore from all the work you make me do everyday…If you wait for me for just a moment I promise I'll try my hardest to walk as fast as possible." As the sugary sweetness in her tone escalated with each word, so did the frequency of the ticks on the corners of Lelouch's emerald eyes.

"Especially since…ah…you know…" She looked shyly away from Lelouch and caressed her stomach in embarrassment.

Lelouch's dumbstruck silence gave her the perfect opportunity to top her performance with an expert quivering of rosy lips and a wracking of shoulders that made her appear on the verge of tears. In her snow white summer dress that fell a little above her knees, long brown wig pulled into two low ponytails, and porcelain skin glowing under the afternoon sun, C.C. was practically the epitome of an innocent angel.

A chorus of hushed whispers exploded from the sidelines condemning Lelouch for being "scum on the bottom of a shoe for mistreating such a sweet and pregnant wife" and "damned to live a life of hell for not taking proper responsibility."

Oh it was a life of hell all right. When she was certain no one was looking, C.C. grinned from ear to ear, suppressing snickers with the tips of her fingers. That damn witch sure was enjoying herself.

Within several long strides Lelouch arrived in front of C.C., glaring at her with enough intensity to freeze a desert before grabbing her roughly by the hand. "Don't worry I'll take care of you _dear_. Come along now."

He literally dragged her from her spot, her shoes scuffing against the ground and kicking up dust into the air. An infant crawled after the pair on his pudgy limbs, giggling all the way until he reached where his "parents" had collapsed on a bench.

Lelouch panted heavily from his feat of lugging the infuriating girl, looking much too amused for his liking. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward. "I have so much to say to you," he spat through gritted teeth. "First of all, _what the hell was that about_?"

Laughter bubbled out from C.C.'s lips, the sound so refreshingly foreign that it caused Lelouch's anger to wane just a tad. "The look on your face back there…" She bit her lower lip and choked back another laugh.

Lelouch scowled but figured pushing more remorse out of her was a lost cause. "Second of all, why is this child following us?"

"Lelouch, he isn't following us. He's following _you_," she teased in a saccharine sing-song tone.

With a sigh, Lelouch scratched the back of his neck and then brushed itchy strands of straw-blonde hair from his eyes. As if on cue, the toddler clambered up onto the bench and plopped himself into Lelouch's lap. He gurgled happily, staring gleefully at Lelouch with large baby blue eyes. Lelouch returned the gaze with a blank stare, not particularly experienced with handling children. Drool oozed down the child's chin and plummeted onto Lelouch's pants in a gooey glob, sealing the deal for Lelouch to decide that finding the real parents was of utmost priority.

"Good boy…" C.C. suddenly cooed, surprising Lelouch by leaning over and wiping off some of the phlegm off his chin with a napkin she had somehow procured. She then patted the boy's sunny blonde hair, her eyes crinkling gently.

"I didn't know you liked kids," Lelouch said, unable to keep the astonishment out of his words.

"Not really," she answered with a shrug. "Doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of them."

The little boy climbed up Lelouch's chest like he was scaling a mountain, clutching onto his shoulder as he swung wildly at Lelouch's wig. "Then would you be kind enough to intervene?" Lelouch deadpanned, grasping the child and struggling to hold him at arm's length.

"Hmm…looks like you have it under control." C.C. averted her eyes at the coincidental moment the boy seized a fistful of Lelouch's blonde hair and gave it a sharp tug.

"Gah!" Lelouch peeled off the boy's sticky fingers, all the while grumbling about how it was possible for a child to have such a vice-like grip. He then unceremoniously dropped the boy next to him in the middle of the bench, and leaned back against its black ridges.

No normal person would fathom that an ordinary walk to the park could instigate so many…problems. Just as the thought ran across his head, the Gods seemed to pity Lelouch and all remained peaceful. A breeze rifled through the branches of the large oak tree above them, the rustling of leaves soothing to his ears after an afternoon of chattering women. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling Lelouch, C.C., and the child with sporadic shadows and giving them reprieve from the hot weather. But most pleasantly unexpected of all, C.C. was incredibly docile today; swinging her legs back and forth and watching other pedestrians saunter past. Almost like a normal girl…

Lelouch sighed contentedly. All was well. No nosy housewives, C.C. was in a curiously good mood, and slobber soaked his sleeve. Wait…

On an instinctive reflex, Lelouch abruptly yanked back his arm and groaned as he examined the damage. However, his groans were about to inflame into full on head poundings against a tree as the boy opened his mouth, and wailed like he had just been set on fire. The cries blasted against his poor, battered ears and shattered whatever shreds of a tranquil afternoon he had left.

"Ah…s-stop that!" Lelouch stammered, scooping up the child and swaying him with awkward jerks. The toddler only howled louder, snot gushing out of his nose and round face rapidly reddening. "C.C. do something!"

C.C. seemed unfazed from the child's ear-splitting screams, flitting her eyes from Lelouch's distressed state to the tears streaming down the boy's face, before carefully lifting up the boy and hugging him to her chest. "Shhh…don't worry everything's going to be alright," she said lightly, patting his back with steady thuds. He continued to thrash in her arms, little feet and arms pounding against her back.

Lelouch's mouth hung ajar, hardly believing that C.C. could be so calm. Several minutes of stroking his back later, the cries finally quieted to sniffles thick with mucus, where she then switched positions to fit the child snugly in her arms. Rocking the child slowly back and forth in her arms, C.C. craned her neck towards him. "It's okay even if you secretly cry, remove the mask where you pretend to be tough, I'll take the night of just the two of us as my own, so, you're not alone," she sang softly, her voice retaining a tender raspiness to it.

After a few rocks from C.C., the boy's eyelids drooped and he soon drifted off to sleep, the serene expression contrasting sharply against the raging volcano he was a fleeting ten minutes ago.

"That was…that was impressive C.C." Lelouch admitted, attemping to restrain the awe in his tone.

"Eh. I've had to do similar things before," she brushed off the boy's nose's excess runoff from her bare shoulders.

"Who knew such a stubborn, selfish woman like you could have a soft spot?" The Brittanian boy joked.

C.C. snorted. "Hm. I have the sudden urge to wake up this boy and then leave you to your own devices to discover how to handle children."

Lelouch smirked, but clamped his mouth shut knowing the very high probability that the witch would follow up on her words.

"Naoto-chan!"

Both the witch and the warlock turned at the new pair of voices. A woman with dark ruby hair was holding a hand to her heart, clear blue eyes shining in relief. Next to her, a cheerful blonde man was grinning broadly, one of his arms slipped around the woman's waist.

"We've been looking everywhere for him," she exclaimed, briskly jogging towards C.C.

"He's been following us for the last couple of hours," C.C. explained, extending her arms so the woman could pick up the snoozing child.

"Don't worry, nothing really happened to him," Lelouch supplied, scrutinizing the couple scrupulously.

"Ah thank you. Naoto-chan is lucky to have bumped into kind people like you," the woman bowed her head politely, but as she straightened herself up, paused once she actually took a good look at Lelouch. "Have we…have we met before?"

Lelouch avoided her inquisitive gaze, instead staring at the line of trees behind her. "Nope, I'm certain we never have," he answered.

"Oi, honeyyy! Let's go we're going to be late!" The man, who had been oddly quiet during the whole exchange, tapped the woman's shoulder in a whimsical rhythm.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" She all but growled.

The blonde man responded with a hearty chuckle. "Thank you for taking care of our Naoto-chan, but I'm afraid we must be taking our leave now." He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the exit.

When they were out of earshot and walking on one of the park's trails again, the blonde man glanced at the woman from the corner of his sky blue eyes. "Was that…"

"No it couldn't possibly have been," she finished for him, shaking her head from side to side.

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The two immortals seated on the bench exchanged glances, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

"For everyone else, the movie continues on. We are the ones forever stuck on pause," C.C. said, breaking eye contact from Lelouch to stare at the setting sun. Most of the sun was hidden behind the park's tall foliage, but some of its vivid yellow rays peeked through from the jagged spaces. The edges of the trees glowed, as if the leaves had been dipped in golden paint and the branches glazed in honey.

"Do you think they recognized us?"

C.C. shrugged, "Possibly. But does it matter? What would they be able to do with such information?" Wind ruffled the hem of C.C.'s dress, inducing an involuntary shiver from her petite body.

"I hope you're right," Lelouch admitted, slipping off his jacket and draping it over C.C.'s legs.

Her face contorted into momentary confusion, muttering something along the lines of, "This is completely unnecessary immortals will not get sick," before smoothing out the jacket with the smallest of smiles.

"C.C. what's with you today."

The bluntness of his phrase vaguely caught her off guard. She turned towards his jade eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strangely. Well you always act strange, but stranger than usual."

C.C. quirked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I don't know just…different," Lelouch elaborated helpfully.

She propped her elbow on the bench's armrest and regarded him with a smirk. "What's this? You were always so great at using eloquent words. You're losing your touch."

He crossed his arms huffily over his chest. "But you know what I mean."

Her gaze lingered on Lelouch a moment longer, wondering if that was concern in his eyes or irritation, before her attention drifted towards a couple in front of them. Between them was a toddler hovering above the ground as his parents playfully swung his legs into the air.

"It's because it almost felt like we were one today," C.C. quietly confessed, clutching tightly onto Lelouch's jacket.

"One what?" Lelouch asked, following C.C.'s line of sight as realization dawned on him.

"Like a family," she clarified, shifting her head to lock eyes with Lelouch. "It's silly isn't it? But it's one of the few things I've never been able to have in my immortal life."

Placing his own elbow on the other armrest, Lelouch rested his cheek against the palm of his hand. "No, it isn't silly at all."

He slowly turned towards the sunset, knowing that it would be more likely for C.C. to show a smile if she thought no one was looking.

Though their interactions were far from romantic, and neither of them had bothered to define just what exactly their relationship was, both the witch and the warlock couldn't help but imagine a little raven-haired boy with amber eyes, or a little green-haired girl with pools of striking violet, seated between them hugging their knees to their chest.

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><p>AN: Hehe that was fun to write. Possibly a bit OC, but I feel that over time C.C. would soften and expose some of her mischievous personality under that stoic face. And internet cookies to you if you recognized the couple at the end and lyrics from one of C.C.'s character songs!

Again, thank you to the reviewers and readers, have a lovely day! :D


	4. The Infinite Days of Christmas

Slim fingers tapped the back of the glossy sphere, the hollow clinking of fingernail against plastic echoing throughout the sparsely decorated living room. How long had it been since she had seen one of these things? Or the better question was, how long had it been since she had even celebrated this silly human holiday?

She tilted her head to the side, clutching the silver ornament in her hand higher to observe her reflection. The lime green hair was just as lustrous. Amber eyes just as enigmatic. Ivory skin just as creamy. But something was different. Of course, the spherical shape distorted and elongated her features, but still…

The edges of her eyebrows knit together as it dawned on her what the only significant modification to her life was. Huh. Strange how one person could change her more than the sea of million others she'd encountered in the last couple hundred years. He certainly didn't need to know of this little tidbit though…

Her mind wandered to last night, hazy memories of frigid wind and black velvet skies drifting back to her conscious.

_C.C.'s breath came out as a puff of fog in the brisk winter air, slowly dissipating as it stretched out in front of her. She tapped her foot against the grey pavement, hands clasped loosely behind her back. Without so much as a glance from the corner of her eyes, she addressed the boy beside her, "Lelouch, do you want one of them?" _

_Standing a few feet beside her, the said boy shoved his hands into a navy blue coat and ducked his face lower behind a crocheted scarf. He stared straight ahead at the chain of green trees in front of them with a blank expression, the wind rifling through his blonde wig and tousling the hair over his eyes. _

_Only when C.C. gave him a pointed nudge in the arm did he open his mouth to speak, "No. There is no need," he stated coolly, his voice strangely confident, "Why would immortals need to celebrate such a holiday? We will be able to experience this event an infinite amount of times in our lives, Christmas is just like any other day to us." His eyes remained calm and collected as he returned his aloof gaze towards the Christmas tree lot. _

_C.C. didn't respond immediately, instead opting to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet before turning to Lelouch with a knowing smirk. _

"_Hah."_

_Furrowing his brow, the warlock warily peeked over his scarf. _

"_What you're saying is how __**I**__ feel. But it certainly isn't what __**you**__ feel." _

_The creases on his forehead deepened and his lips twisted into a confused frown. "C.C. what are you talking about?" _

_Unfortunately for Lelouch his question was heard by deaf ears as C.C. swiped his wallet out of the seat of his pants and strode through the gates of the Christmas tree lot. _

_He blinked, merely watching her petite figure weave in and out of the crowd. Only once her brown wig was becoming a tiny speck in the throng of people did Lelouch snap out of his daze. "W-What is that stupid witch doing now?" Cursing under his breath, he quickly followed after his infuriating companion, stopping short when a leather projectile was rudely slapped into his face and he fumbled to grasp onto his wallet. "C.C.!" He growled heatedly. _

"_Make your credit card easier to find next time, and then I won't have to take your wallet," she replied in a monotone. _

_She didn't need to turn around to know that he was rolling his eyes and preparing to lecture her about something frivolous like "proper etiquette," so she decided to skip out on the lesson and greet him with her retreating back instead. He'd follow her anyways. Immortal or not, Lelouch refused to live in a cardboard box on the side of the street after she guzzled his money down the drain. _

_Sure enough, he trudged after her to a row of seven foot tall, lush evergreen trees, where she was conversing with a short, stocky man who was nodding and simultaneously stroking the peach fuzz on his chin. From the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw Lelouch instantly grow suspicious as his brilliant mind connected two and two together. _

"_What are you doing C.C.? Didn't I say we didn't need to buy—"_

"_We're getting that one," she interrupted, "But we're going to have to provide our own transportation." _

"Oi, C.C., couldn't you have had included some variety when you bought these ornaments?" The raven-haired boy gestured towards a box filled to the brim with trinkets resembling Cheese-kun, pizza slices, and wedges of Swiss cheese.

Lelouch's question broke through her thoughts and she blinked blearily, vaguely wondering when he had materialized next to her.

"Eh. It was late last night. Didn't have much time to shop before the stores closed down," she answered with a shrug.

"Oh really? Then it sure would have been _kind _of you if you had used your spare time to help me lug this fifty pound tree three miles back to our house," he drawled sarcastically.

"I brought you a sled, and I was helping you build character and improving your stamina. If anything you should be thanking me." She smiled at his clearly un-amused expression, her own amusement blossoming ten-fold.

Lelouch huffed, but otherwise made no move to retort and continued to hang up the pizza-hut themed items.

C.C. ran her fingers along the tree's spiky needles, unexpectedly soft against her skin, and pretended to take a sudden interest in rearranging the shiny ornaments already strung on the branches before sneaking a glance at Lelouch.

Bags sagged heavily from his violet eyes and his black hair was rather unkempt, but aside from his physical appearance he seemed quite content for someone who had dragged a Christmas tree across town for a handful of hours.

Well, technically he didn't do it alone. But he didn't need to know that a certain honey-eyed witch had ingeniously attached another rope to the back of the sled and was pulling alongside him every once in a while… She shook her head from side to side. It surprised her that she still had the capacity to willingly help other people. Let alone care about them.

A rustling of curtains caught her attention, causing her to look up from the spot on the tree that her eyes were burning a hole into to see Lelouch letting in a shaft of warm yellow light. "It's almost morning now, we've been up all night," he remarked softly, brushing aside the curtains until the sun's golden rays made the white tinsel glisten and plastic ornaments brighten.

"Indeed," C.C. stated as she gazed at the fuzzy ochre sun climb lazily up the horizon, the sky surrounding it dispersing with particles of pastel pink within the dim blue expanse.

"Ah, wait here for a second, I'll be right back," Lelouch said, slipping out of the room before C.C. could move her head an inch. She instinctively turned towards his vacant space. Part of her was curious about what the Britannian had in store, and part of her didn't feel too keen on following orders.

Especially from Lelouch. Feh. So after some brief internal debating, her inner C.C. won over and she strolled out of the room to rummage through the refrigerator.

Nothing like finding leftover pizza and disobeying your roommate to spark a good mood. She shuffled towards the kitchen counter, grazing her tongue across the hardened cheese and smacking her lips in satisfaction. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into the limp pepperoni and crusty cheese, she stubbed her toe against an inconveniently placed box in the middle of the floor. Hissing loudly, she instantly recoiled and bounced on one foot until the pain subsided in a matter of seconds. Once her body finished healing itself up, she glared at the somehow offending wrapping paper of grinning gingerbread men and chocolate chip Christmas cookies.

Her leg swung backwards, ready to slam the box through the wall, but she halted in her steps when she saw her name written in thick black sharpie, dangling from a giant gift-tag. The green-haired girl cocked her head to the side, gingerly touching the sleek wrapping paper on the three foot tall box.

Her eyes reflexively flitted from side to side to scope out any signs of Lelouch. Huh. No trace of the boy. Could this possibly be…?

While hoisting the pizza in one hand, C.C. used the other to rip messily into the paper, carelessly tossing the scraps to the ground. When the gift wrap had been stripped bare, C.C. felt her interest plummet upon seeing the plain, cardboard box. "This better be worth delaying my meal…" she grumbled, setting the pizza on the countertop. With lackluster energy, C.C. peeled back the clear tape and pried open the flaps with her pinky finger.

She didn't notice a shadow appearing at the doorway as she leaned forward to peer at the object, or how the figure that was now propped against the door frame smirked as her eyes immediately widened and she made some sort of involuntary noise between a gasp and a squeal. Situated primly in the box was an enormous plush doll, donning a charming red bow instead of the usual black top hat.

"I take it that you enjoy it?" A voice smugly cut through.

C.C. whipped her head towards the door, clutching the oversized yellow blob tightly to her chest. She immediately tried to suppress her beam upon recognition of the voice, which only elicited light chuckles from the boy.

"I knew that you wouldn't listen to me if I told you to do something, so I decided to just leave it in the room you frequent the most," Lelouch said, walking closer to her until he was about an arm's length away.

"Do you remember that time I spilled coffee on your other stupid doll?" Golden eyes narrowed at the memory. "Well for the sanity of my taste buds and wallet, I concluded it would be worth the effort to make another Cheese-san for you so you don't have to keep collecting those stupid coupons for a new one. Your pizza expenses run high enough for us to buy a Knightmare frame or—"

"Is this a present for me?" C.C. blurted out suddenly.

Lelouch fell silent at the tinge of shyness in her tone, somehow melting the wall of excuses he had prepared for his act of kindness and exposing the simple truth. "Ah, it is."

She nuzzled her chin into Cheese-san's velvety head. "When did you even have time to make her?"

The corner of his lips tugged upwards. "There was actually quite an abundance of time, it's amazing how many hours of the day you can stay asleep."

C.C. fluttered her eyes closed, the smallest of serene smiles settling onto her face. "No one has ever made a Christmas present for me before…"

Warmth flowed to Lelouch's cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What about when you had your Geass?"

"Ah." The witch put a finger to her lips. "True, when I had my Geass centuries ago, people did used to throw gifts at me," she admitted, "But, no one put thought into their presents. And besides," her smile twisted wryly. "We both know that if the Geass was dispelled no one would have even bothered."

Lelouch stepped forward slightly, sensing this as one of the few moments C.C. cracked open her shell.

However, C.C. would have none of that. Her eyes abruptly flew open and seemed to dance with a life of their own. "But, this means you planned ahead of time to make this gift for me, implying that you wanted to celebrate Christmas."

"It does not!" Lelouch declared; freezing in his steps to cross his arms over his chest.

"I knew something was up when you, with your stamina of an old man, didn't just dump the tree in the middle of the road."

"Hmph. Next year you are getting nothing but coal."

"Good, all the more sharp objects to throw at you my dear warlock."

Running a hand through his dark locks, he sighed lightheartedly, "Some things never change."

The witch chortled, gradually trailing off into her previously gentle smile, "Hey Lelouch…thank you."

"Mhmm." No further words needed to be exchanged to express how much the witch and the warlock meant to one another.

"Wait here. I'll be back."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, but had no chance to respond as C.C. bolted to her room and shut the door behind her.

* * *

><p>"You moved."<p>

"Well yeah, you took forever," he replied, not looking up from the newspaper in his hands. "Besides, taking orders from you? Feh."

"You have a bad habit of not listening to others."

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people."

"Touché." The green haired girl nodded her head in acknowledgement, plopping a tin box into Lelouch's lap from behind the couch he was lounging on.

He set his newspaper down and picked up what used to be a container for chocolate candies. "What's this?"

"Who knows?" C.C. threw one hand up into the air as she flopped sideways onto the adjacent sofa, the Cheese-san plushy nestled between her breasts.

"Ever the helpful answer," he mumbled as he popped open the lid. Lelouch then proceeded to pluck out the strips of paper, an amused grin spreading across his face as he read the messages. "No Ordering Pizza for Three Days, Will Go Away Anytime, Will do Any One House Chore. Haha C.C., are these coupons?" Still laughing to himself, Lelouch turned to C.C. with a haughty stare. "Oh this one is my favorite, 'Will obey any one command.' How clever of you, witch. It's like Geass all over again."

"Of course, these are all one time use. And it is likely you won't be seeing any more of these in production again."

"Fair enough. Then I better use these wisely." Lelouch carefully returned the slips of paper into their box while smiling softly. "Thank you, C.C."

_The only person who ever thanks me,_ the thought snaked through her mind before she could even register it. Wrinkling her nose, C.C. switched positions so she was laying flat on her stomach and facing Lelouch. If she squinted her eyes, she could make out her reflection in the many spherical balls glimmering from their Christmas tree. Once again, as she looked up into the girl reflected in the image, she felt something was different. She traced her fingers along Cheese-san's tidily hand-sewn stitches and squeezed the doll's cotton-stuffed body.

With all the time that C.C.'s been alive, she's been able to possess nearly everything. It's strange to think that Lelouch's simple gift could actually...ah. Was she allowing silly mortal emotions to actually affect her? Why did she even bother to _give_ a present? Was the difference she saw painted across her own face…vulnerability? The funny thing was usually she would have wiped off any weakness and schooled her face into a calm countenance. But lately, she was frighteningly finding herself less and less concerned with maintaining her indifference.

"Do I look different to you?" The question rolled off her tongue of its own accord.

Lelouch casually shifted his head towards her. "Hmm…not really."

"Not vulnerable?" She muttered more to herself than anyone else's ears.

Unfortunately for her, Lelouch had caught her last phrase. "I wouldn't call it that." Somewhat tentatively, she looked over inquisitively at the boy.

"Not so much vulnerable as…well, I suppose happy."

"Happy?" She repeated.

"Ah. It's one of the simplest, yet most complex emotions," he flexed his fingers around the chartreuse tin box. "Merry Christmas, C.C."

C.C. pressed her new Cheese-san plushy closer to her body. "Merry Christmas to you too, Lelouch."

There is an infinite amount of Christmas's in an immortal's life. As the years crawl by, each holiday becomes mundane, a reminder of one's loneliness, and nothing more than any other day. Or so that's what C.C. lead her self to believe. Because even though she was able to easily call Lelouch's bluff, it was harder than she realized to call her own.

* * *

><p>AN: Wow these things are getting incredibly long! Hopefully they are getting better as well...I feel like this particular one was more complex then the others but hopefully it wasn't too muddled. And this one was definitely more C.C. centric, maybe next time I'll write about Lelouch more. Yes...so even though Christmas is several months away I had the random urge to write about it anyways! I googled "Cheese-kun" just for the heck of it once I was about finished with this, and there actually is an adorable picture of of a deadpan Lelouch handing an excited C.C. a female Cheese-san! Huhh perhaps I saw that picture a while ago and the image was subconsciously engrained in my brain, either way thank you to that random artist for inadvertently inspiring me! And as always, thank you to all my reviewers/readers you guys are awesome! :D


	5. By Your Side

Author's Note: First off, I have to apologize for not coming back to this story for so long. I haven't given up and I still absolutely adore this couple. It's partly because I wanted to get this next chapter right, it's the heaviest one of them all and I hope I was able to deliver in making it believable but at the same time not too sappy. Secondly, thank you to one of my reviewers _JohnTitor_ who made me realize a glaring hole in the timeline. I intended to start this story quite a few years after everything settled down, yet the last Christmas chapter was their first Christmas...-facepalm-. And lastly, thank you everyone for their support, reviews, or just reading this story. I'm sorry for being slow and irresponsible..!

Also, contains spoilers for R2 in case you haven't finished both seasons.

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x_

_He hadn't expected it to feel so cold. His eyes darted towards the sword in Suzaku's trembling grasp, mildly noting it was still a golden lance piercing his chest and not a sharp icicle. Warm blood immediately stained his pristine white clothes. Yet he felt no searing heat surging through his veins but instead a numb, ringing sensation percolating from his wound. _

"_L-Lelouch." Suzaku whispered with a heaviness that didn't quite suit him. _

_The thought of what Suzaku's facial expression would be under that mask suddenly struck him, stirring up the strangest, overwhelming urge to lift up Zero's helmet and see his face. Just his face would do, even if it was for a brief second. After all, despite the hell they put each other through, they were still best friends. _

"_This is also a punishment for you…" Lelouch managed to choke out, "You will be the defender of justice and wear a mask forever..." With rapidly waning strength, Lelouch released the hand clutching his abdomen and caressed the side of Suzaku's mask. "You will no longer be able to live as Kuurugi Suzaku. You will sacrifice all your own happiness for the world…eternally." _

_Scarlet lines traced down from his limps fingers, another thought flitting through his mind of whether he was repenting for his sins, or committing another one by enslaving Suzaku with one more scar on his already marred soul. _

"_I accept…that Geass…" The newborn Zero stated resolutely, pulling out the sword in one swift motion and leaving behind a staggering Lelouch, taking in the living world one last time before he would now be the one slumped at its feet. _

Lelouch's eyes flew open. He lay still as a block for what felt like trickling hours, but in actuality were only a few short moments. Sweat slithered through the palms of his hands, pooling together in the creases between his fingers. He slowly dragged his arm out from under the blanket, wondering when his limbs had been replaced with lead weights, and reached towards his neck to tug open the collar of his shirt. His pinky finger absently stroked his exposed collarbone, lips curling into a frown as he realized his entire body was coated in a thin film of sweat. With a resigned sigh, Lelouch abruptly kicked off his covers and watched them tumble to the side. He stared at the white wall the blankets bounced against long after they had thudded to the floor.

Exhaling another sigh, Lelouch tilted his eyes towards his ceiling, knowing fully that there was no way he was going to be able to sleep again tonight. It was silly, ridiculous even. He, of all people, knew a dream was nothing more than a dream. Void of logic. A nonsensical splatter of unconscious thoughts. Yet…why did everything feel so real? Like the line between dream and reality was nothing more than fine white chalk constantly being smeared, smudged, and redrawn.

Every detail was in utmost clarity. As if he was watching his own life rolling on a camera, zooming in on his every quirk of the eye, capturing each intake of breath, bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He cast his gaze across his room, dark and relatively sparse, with only the essential furnishes of a bed, closet, desk, and chair. Normally he would have appreciated its tidiness, but tonight the empty space seemed to stretch on for miles.

He didn't understand…for the most part, it had all gone according to plan: the only method to bring peace to the world and repent for his sins. Foolproof. Ingenious. Yet why did these memories of the past constantly replay in the forefront of his mind? He thought—no he _knew_ he was stronger than this.

As if on autopilot Lelouch scrambled to his feet and briskly walked towards his door, crossing the hallway with purposeful steps until he was in front of a closed door and reaching for the silver doorknob. But as he neared a centimeter away from touching the sleek metal, Lelouch froze on the spot, shakily retracting his arm back until it was parallel to his side. "What am I doing? C.C. would find this all trivial," he muttered, fingers rubbing his tense temples in a circular motion.

"Just take a deep breath and calm down. It was nothing more than a dream. Dreams won't—no, can't do anything to you." He stumbled backwards from the door, his eyes lingering on the wooden entrance a little longer before he turned his back away. "What could C.C. do anyways? Other than throw empty pizza boxes at you for rudely awakening her. Yes…that's what she would do…" Lelouch chuckled lightly, though even he couldn't deny its hollow echo. His hand closed over his own doorknob, resolutely ignoring the tremble in his fingers and cold moistness glazing his palms.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"You don't look well," C.C. stated flatly, popping a chunk of freshly-microwaved frozen waffles into her mouth.

"Thank you for updating me on my appearance," Lelouch retorted with a glare, idly stabbing his fork into the soft dough of his waffle and twirling it around his plate.

"Has something happened?" She asked with an interest just above a monotone.

"No, everything's fine," came Lelouch's reply just a bit too quickly.

"Did you happen to come across last month's credit card bills?"

"No...I still have the pleasure of looking forward to that," he grumbled, though his lackluster animosity caused C.C. to quirk an eyebrow. She had grown quite accustomed to tuning out his lectures about her frivolous spending habits and almost found some amusement in observing his enviable smooth skin while his mouth rambled on nonsense.

Golden eyes slowly moved from his unkempt onyx hair to the dark circles under the ex-prince's bloodshot eyes. A flicker of curiosity, mixed with the smallest, smallest trace of concern overtook her aloof expression. She settled her fork onto the table with a soft clang and rested her cheek on her palm, absently tilting her head towards the window.

"It's a nice day today..." C.C. said, regarding the rich blue skies and splatter of cumulus clouds casually.

"Yeah," Lelouch answered without bothering to lift his head up.

"I think I'll go out today…maybe onto the roof." she twisted a lock of green hair on her index finger, eyes still locked on the window. "Only because it's a nice day outside, maybe I can go fix those shingles that keep falling off. You know, just so I'll have something to do."

At this, Lelouch jerked upwards, renewed vigor in his incredulous eyes. "But you told me to do that."

"Did I? We both know that my stamina and ability to work with tools is far superior to yours." The chair scraped loudly against the kitchen tiles as she stood up, eyes still evading his inquisitive gawking. "Why don't you save the world some oxygen and return to bed? It's not like you're short on time."

"I still breathe in my sleep, you know," Lelouch sarcastically said as he craned his neck back.

C.C. made no move to reply, blatantly ignoring the remark to rummage through the fridge.

The sleep-deprived boy ran a hand through his raven locks and fluttered his eyes shut. "C.C. what's your ulterior motive," he questioned as a statement.

"Nothing," she responded in her usual frustratingly cool monotone.

"I don't understand you." A pause hung in the air as the green haired witch straightened up with a carton of orange juice in her hands.

"Lelouch." The sudden seriousness in her tone perked up his ears. "What I said before still stands. Didn't I tell you that I'd always be by your side?"

Black eyebrows rose as he processed her meaning. "I…" He was at a loss of words as memories of that room lit by twilight and his heart-wrenching mistake against Euphemia surfaced to his mind.

Thankfully C.C. didn't press further, opting to swig juice directly from the carton in a manner that seemed nearly elegant. It was only when he heard C.C.'s footsteps padding down the hallway did Lelouch remember how to speak.

"I…Hey you didn't put your food away," he finished lamely.

"Do it for me. You're more suited to be in the kitchen anyways," she called out lazily.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

x-x-x-x-x

x-x-x

"_I love you, Lelou."_

_Only when people see death climbing up the horizon do all their inhibitions dissipate. He couldn't even react to her words. The only thing swirling through his mind was that her hurried confession meant that she believed in the futility of combating her fate. _

"_Even when I knew you killed my father…I couldn't…bring myself to hate you. Even when you made me try to forget everything…I still fell…in love with you again…Even when my memories were altered…I still fell in love again…" Shirley gripped his hand clumsily, using her last remaining strength in an attempt to lace their fingers together. He wished that he had enough sense to drop the phone wedged between their hands, even at the end there was still a barrier between them. _

_Her chartreuse eyes wavered weakly, eyelids beginning their last droop. _

_And that's when it finally clicked. Lelouch brushed his hand over his eye, frantically willing his Geass with an intensity that made every cell in his body tingle as if they were dancing in flames. "No! Don't die, Shirley!" he screeched. _

_Shirley continued on, her voice barely above a whisper. "No matter how many times I'm reborn…I'm sure I'll…fall in love with you again, Lelou. This is fate, right?" _

"_Don't die Shirley!" Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes, his vision glossing into a hot blur._

"_Don't die!" The tears streamed down his face in fervent rivulets, dribbling down his chin and leaving a sticky trail in their wake. He created Zero to protect everyone, to create a better world. Yet, all he ever seemed to do was hurt the people most important to him. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. _

"_Don't die!" It was all he was able to say. Because the honest truth was that Lelouch was still uncertain of what he felt. Hah. Even though he told lies everyday, every hour, every minute, now he couldn't even muster up the courtesy to at least let her believe he returned a bit of her feelings…maybe…he didn't know. And that's what scared him, how much truth would be within the lie. _

_Shirley's lips moved as she breathed out her last words, but Lelouch could only feel the blood pounding through his head and anger boiling in his heart. But underneath the anger, grief, and regret exploding in his chest, more than anything, more than anything combined, Lelouch just wished he could have traded places with her. _

"Shit," he breathed out; gulping down his saliva in hopes of quelling the sensation of crying. "I'm so sorry, Shirley." He squeezed his eyes tightly together as stray tears spilled down his cheeks.

Choked sobs croaked out of his throat as he hastily swiped his sleeve over his eyes. Pathetic. Still as absolutely pathetic as before. Why was he still haunted by his past? It pained him. Pained him more than any physical wound because all he wished for was to trade with them. Any of them. Trade with Suzaku. Trade with Euphemia. Trade with Shirley. And then at last…at last he could clear his blood-soaked ledger and die in peace.

But that wish could never become a reality. It would always remain a wish. A dream. Void of logic and practicality.

The darkness licked at his skin, prickling goose bumps darting across his exposed flesh. The space suddenly seemed so much smaller, the darkness so much thicker, snaking through his nostrils and constricting the air from his throat. He felt his body lurch towards the doorway and he clutched onto the doorframe, hesitating as the shadows seemed ready to engulf him. Shaking his head, he stumbled into the hallway and once again stopped in front of C.C.'s door. With trembling fingers he fidgeted with the door handle and hesitantly pushed it open.

He knew the sight in front of him shouldn't have been much of a surprise, but for some reason, upon seeing her dainty form curled up on her side, the breath rushed out of his lips in a startling relief. He tried to mute the sound of his footsteps as he started towards the bed, sitting down as quietly as possible to not disturb the bed springs. It was strange, since when did her mere presence give him so much comfort? But deep down he knew, even in his mortal life her company always did.

Because around her, he didn't have to be Lelou or Zero or Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia or anyone else. He was simply, Lelouch.

The thought lingered in his mind as he twisted his head towards her sleeping form. She was propped up on her side and faced away from him, her long green hair fanning out across her pillow. He silently scooted his thighs farther onto the bed until only his calves dangled over the side. Tentatively, he craned his neck to peer at her expression. For once, her eyebrows were not knit with some mischievous intent or her lips quirked in a devious smirk. She seemed...dare he say it, almost innocent? He pulled his legs onto the bed and shifted into a cross-legged position; turning towards the wall opposite to C.C. as he let her calming presence wash over him. As the seconds ticked into minutes, the haunting images softened, his raging regrets soothed, and his heartbeat gradually slowed.

That is, until her groggy voice instantly broke him out of his reverie. "What are you doing?"

A tense silence ensued as a look resembling a deer stuck in headlights fell over his expression. "Uh…" He managed to utter, not quite sure himself.

She turned her head a fraction to the side to regard him with half-lidded eyes.

Lelouch pursed his mouth into a thin line, chewing on the inside of his lower lip.

C.C. raised an eyebrow, the lightest trace of amusement in her cool expression.

"I-I was just looking for something," Lelouch finally sputtered, swiftly moving to slide off the bed. "I couldn't sleep so I just wanted to confirm my suspicions that it was here."

"Oh really? What was it that you're searching for?" C.C. asked neutrally, looking up at him with interest. Even in the darkness her eyes were still piercing gold.

"I…I…" Lelouch faltered. Lelouch never faltered. An understanding passed through them in that single moment.

"Ah, it's nothing important I'll be heading back to my—" He got as far as swinging his legs over the side of the bed before being brusquely yanked back by the hem of his shirt. "Gah! What are you doing?" He yelped, twisting around to glare at her.

"You don't have to leave," the green-haired witch all but commanded as the hand grabbing his shirt shoved him beside her. "If you left you would make more unnecessary noise like the clumsy oaf you are, and I wouldn't be able to return back to sleep for the whole night."

Her excuse was weak. It didn't make any sense.

And he was extremely grateful for it.

"Ah. I understand," he replied quietly.

Silence lapsed between them for a few minutes. Not a single noise indicated that either of them was awake. Yet Lelouch knew C.C. wasn't sleeping. And when he finally voiced the question that's been plaguing his mind, he knew she was listening intently.

"C.C…do you think about your past?" His voice was small, far smaller than a voice suited for the great Zero or Lelouch vi Britannia.

She didn't answer for a stretch of time, and Lelouch began to wonder if his intuition was incorrect and that the witch really had fallen asleep. He was about to flutter his eyelids shut when she spoke in a voice that was soft but clearly audible. "How can I remember my past? All the people that hated me, that loved me, have fallen away to faceless wisps of my imagination."

Lelouch turned his head towards her. She hadn't moved from resting on her side, her long green hair still facing him as Lelouch laid on his back.

"Ah, I see," Lelouch finally answered. He suddenly felt embarrassed by his foolishness and sank a little deeper into her mattress.

"But that doesn't mean I didn't once have important memories or important people." In a rare display of softness, C.C. lowered her voice until there was no hard edge or even a hint of sarcasm. "You're expecting me to reconfirm your belief that dwelling on your past is silly, ridiculous even. And putting your past in the past is the only way to stop being tormented by your memories."

"C.C…" he trailed off, a bit taken aback by the truth in her deduction.

She continued on as if uninterrupted, "If only it could be as simple as that, Lelouch." C.C. sighed, blinking open her eyes.

"It's been years though…Years. Years since those events actually occurred. I…I don't know what I'm supposed to do. What else I _can_ do," Lelouch admitted.

"There's nothing you can do but wait until you no longer have the capability to feel emotions. But before that, the one person you cannot pretend to, cannot lie to, is yourself. You cannot pretend that the people in your past were not important to you," she said gently, actually sounding like the wise witch she was.

That's right...they were all precious. Whether he was mortal or immortal, whether they were dead or alive, none of that diminished their irreplaceable value to him. Finally, after a very long time of bottling his jumbled emotions, he thought openly about each and every one of them. An intense surge of emotions rolled like an undulating wave through his entire body, he rigidly tensed, scrunching up C.C.'s bed sheets with taut fingers.

"I…I killed Euphemia. I slashed her purity and destroyed her dream…then made her die in the worst way possible. She couldn't even be remembered as the kindhearted princess she truly was. I killed Shirley…she didn't have to be involved. She would still be alive today if she had never met me. I killed whatever future Suzaku may have wanted to follow, whatever dreams he had in mind," Lelouch's breathing picked up and he found himself gasping for air as all the guilt wracked his mind, his heart. He gulped a heavy lump down his dry throat as he thought about the one person all his efforts were for. "I killed the life that Nunnally and I shared…we were happy together. I did everything to maintain her happiness but I only caused pain and sorrow—"

"Shhh…." C.C. hushed quietly. Sometime during his breakdown, C.C. had sat up and was now lifting his head to be cradled in her lap.

Lelouch didn't resist as she stroked his hair soothingly, sliding his black tresses between her fingers. He couldn't hold it in any longer. In fact he found himself wishing he crumbled down earlier.

"I'm with you Lelouch. You're not alone in this," she said, her voice low and calming.

"But I'm the one who bears the burden of everyone's suffering! It's not on you!" Lelouch exclaimed. He knew it wasn't right of him to snap at C.C. He knew it wasn't really her fault. It was all his own.

However, she didn't recoil at his words, instead, she replied to him with no traces of anger or derision. "They would have all forgiven you. Lelouch, everyone loved you in their own way."

"Even if what you say is true, I can't forgive myself," he closed his eyes, tears slipping down his face and tasting salty against his chapped lips.

C.C. didn't move to wipe them away; she never saw the point in doing so. Her fingers continued to stroke his hair. "Then that means you still maintain your humanity. You should be happy to have emotions, negative emotions are still better than none."

"Is this the path all code bearers have to travel? Pain that can only be healed by forgetting the ones you loved? Is that really the tragic fate of immortality?"

"Not always, but for some yes," she answered honestly.

"So there's really...nothing I can do huh? It seems impossible to forget about everyone, truthfully, I don't even want to erase their existences," he said tiredly.

"There's nothing you can do to pretend that they weren't precious people to you. There's nothing you can do to atone for your sins," she paused as a frown unconsciously tugged at Lelouch's lips. The green-haired woman took a deep intake of breath, a small smile spreading across her face. "However, in your case, there is something you can do to ease the pain while remembering everything. I think everyone would have wanted to see you live a happy life. Euphemia, Shirley, Suzaku, Rolo, and Nunnally, none of them truly hated you, in fact it's quite the opposite. Regardless of what you put them through, deep down in their hearts, none of those people wanted to see you suffer. All you can do is accept their wishes."

C.C. had always been straightforward about the cold truth, he trusted her ability to tell it as it was more than anyone he had ever known. And because it was her who was the one laying the facts out on the table...Lelouch allowed himself a shred of hope that maybe she was right.

"So it's like that...I see..." Exhaustion poured into his body as nearly two days without sleep were catching up to him. "And you are sure that you're...correct in that assumption?"

"Yes, I'd bet your life on it," she confidently stated.

At that Lelouch opened his eyes to stare up at her, shaking his head slowly. "Stupid witch, you're supposed to say that you'd bet your own life on it."

"It wouldn't be worth as much since you're living for the sake of so many others," C.C. stated as if it was a fact. Lelouch appeared to not hear her, so she stayed silent as she waited for his breathing to even out and match the pace of the rhythmic rise and falls of his chest. Just when she thought he had nodded off, Lelouch suddenly piped up with a response.

"Don't say things like that about your own worth...we live for each other's sake as well, don't we?" And with that, Lelouch allowed himself to drift to sleep, the last image he saw being C.C.'s barely-there smile instead of a precious friend's suffering.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


	6. A Typical Valentine's Day

Author's Note: It may be the middle of March but...Happy fluffy and belated Valentine's day?

* * *

><p><strong>On a typical Valentine's Day, couples were sure to remember that the holiday fell on February 14th. <strong>

"Was today supposed to be a special day?" C.C. asked through mouthfuls of a heart-shaped cookie. The bakery was oddly giving them away for free, almost as if it was trying to promote something.

"I believe it's a holiday, and judging by the excessive amount of red and pink everywhere, I'm going to take a guess that it's Valentine's day," Lelouch surmised, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes.

"Is it now? Oh if I had known earlier I would have prepared," C.C. admitted.

"You wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day?" Lelouch said incredulously, widening his eyes in surprise.

The corner of her lips turned up into a half-smile. "No, no need to panic my silly warlock. There are just many things girls can take advantage of on Valentine's Day."

"That being?" Despite asking, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

C.C. chuckled lightly, "I am referring to the half-priced chocolate after this frivolous holiday is over, of course." Her little smile then curved into a sly smirk. "Though, I usually am able to get a desperate man to go on a date with me and pay for my pizza expenses for the day."

Lelouch's shoulders stiffened. He couldn't decide whether it was because he may have to be the poor man today, or because of the unsettling knowledge that he wasn't on previous February 14ths.

**On a typical Valentine's Day, flowers were somewhere in the picture.**

"For you Miss, please accept this rose," a dark-haired man extended the flower out towards C.C. and bowed.

"Um," she began, only to be immediately cut off.

"You are so very beautiful. Your hair looks like it is as soft as the finest silk, and your eyes shine like golden pools of honey that the sun had melted in," the mysterious stranger prattled on.

"Oh really?" C.C. answered, more amused than flattered.

"Oh really?" Lelouch echoed, a clear edge in his voice.

"Yes, really!" The man affirmed as he brought his other hand into an energetic fist. "Every girl deserves to be youthful and happy on Valentine's day!"

Lelouch scoffed. "You are so ridiculously cheesy," he all but bit out. "What is your real motive?"

"None whatsoever! This beautiful lady here just did not look all that excited about Valentine's Day and I needed to change that," he exclaimed.

Lelouch opened his mouth to speak but C.C. beat him to it.

"Is that so?" C.C. raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I'll accept your gift," she said as she gently plucked the rose from his hand.

"What? Why?" A childish pout overcame Lelouch's features.

"Because, I felt like it," she elusively answered, watching as the man bounded away to another woman walking down the street.

Folding his arms across his chest, Lelouch frowned. "What was with that guy anyways? Did you see his eyebrows? You could have landed a Knightmare on them."

"Could you possibly be, jealous?" C.C. teased, twirling the rose between her index and middle fingers.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lelouch deadpanned, though he turned away to hide a rising blush.

"No need to hide that you're upset you didn't get one too. I for one, think that you would make a very beautiful lady, Luluko."

"That's _not_ what I'd be jealou− Ah, never mind. J-Just shut up."

**On a typical Valentine's Day, couples adorably shared their belongings. **

Tug.

Tug.

Lelouch pulled his scarf out of C.C.'s grasp and slung it into another loop around his neck.

"Hey, I'm cold. Give me your scarf," C.C. not asked nor whined, but stated. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk; underneath a streetlamp decked in red and white streamers.

"So am I, and you have a thicker jacket than me so we're fairly distributed," Lelouch replied evenly. Although, he probably would have caved in if she had asked more nicely.

"Give it to me," she continued, entirely ignoring him.

Lelouch shrugged, lowering his chin until he was situated snugly within the scarf. "Taking orders from you? Feh."

C.C., however, was relentless. "After all the housework I do, you're not going to share your scarf?"

"What housework? Last time I checked the cooking, cleaning, gardening, and paperwork were shoved under 'Lelouch's duties,'" he reminded.

"I took care of shoveling the snow last week."

Lelouch cupped his chin. "C.C., I don't think paying high schoolers to shovel our driveway counts as _you_ working."

"Oh I never paid them. I just made them believe I was an overworked teenage mother."

"Exactly."

"But, but, I am not fit for any housework when I'm carrying your child," she said, feigning innocence.

"You are _not_! W-We never did anything like that!" He sputtered.

"How would you know?" C.C. retorted mysteriously.

"How would I− You know what, here," he unraveled the blue scarf off himself and wound it around both of their necks. "It's just long enough for us to share. How bout it?"

C.C. sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Very well...we'll have it your way this time."

**On a typical Valentine's Day, hand holding was involved. **

"This is completely unnecessary," C.C. droned.

"No, in this case it is completely necessary," Lelouch heaved, feeling his breath running short.

She stared at the blue scarf. It had slipped from Lelouch's neck and was now only attached to her own, flapping like a flag in the wind.

"Just let go, we both know you don't have the stamina for this," she said it as if it was the easiest decision in the world.

In response, Lelouch shuffled his foot a step back. "No, you're going to get hurt."

"That didn't stop you when you had me pose as Zero," C.C. countered.

He tightened his hold around C.C.'s hand, sweat lining the insides of his fingers and pooling in his palms. To make matters worse, her limp grip certainly wasn't helping his ability to pull her up. "Then I'll have to make up for that," he replied honestly.

"There's no need, just let go. I'm never going to find my Cheese-kun sticker pages at this rate. Besides, this height is too short to die from, at worst I'll get some broken bones," C.C. rationalized.

"We'll be able to collect them again. It's nothing worth jumping off a bridge to retrieve! Do you know how freezing the water is in the middle of February?" Lelouch exclaimed. The droplets of sweat that had formed on his brow were now slipping down his temple.

"Think of my poor Cheese-kun stickers, the wind whisking them out of my album and then rudely dumping them into the river. They're probably losing their adhesiveness and sinking to the bottom of the river as we speak..." she spoke so forlornly that Lelouch couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Like _that_ is my main concern," he squeezed his fingers around C.C's cold palms, feeling his strength waning to dangerously low levels.

A frown replaced C.C.'s aloof expression, "Both of us are going to fall if you don't let me go. Even if I tried to scale your arm I'd pull you down with me."

"Then so be it."

C.C.'s golden eyes crinkled softly. "You mustn't be so selfless, you'll hurt yourself in the end," she maneuvered her fingers to lace them together with Lelouch's.

"That sounds like it should be my life's catchphrase," he breathed out a shaky laugh.

"Thank you, Lelouch, but..." she smiled at him as she wriggled out of his grip and free-falled into the icy waters. She broke into the choppy waters with a curt, slapping impact.

Physically, she suffered from a few broken bones. But aside from that, she felt unscathed.

**On a typical Valentine's Day, people dressed nicely for the occasion. **

Black boots squeaked, left behind patches of water, and tracked in muddy footprints. But, C.C. paid no heed to the dirty looks that the sales representative was sending their way as she perused the racks of clothing.

"I dislike all of these selections," C.C. stated, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Well, you wouldn't have to be here if you didn't _jump off a bridge for stickers_," Lelouch kindly recapped.

"Oh, stop being such a nag and let it go," she said in a clipped tone.

"How can I when I'm going to be sore for days from holding onto your dead weight?"

A chuckle escaped through her lips. "Such a drama queen as always, your body will heal up in no time at all. It didn't take my ribs and ankle much time," to prove her point, she placed her hand along her ribcage and pressed firmly on it.

His gaze flitted towards her ribcage. "That is because you're so reckless that your body already knows what to do."

"Well, isn't someone an ice queen today?" C.C. responded cheekily.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, but didn't return her jab as the sales representative came up to C.C.

"Are you finding everything to your liking today, Miss?" The woman asked, obviously strained by the mess C.C. had produced.

"No," C.C. answered with no hesitation.

The young sales representative was taken aback, barely managing to plaster on a stiff smile. "Um, well, perhaps I can help you look around then," she turned towards a pile of neatly folded clothing and selected a pink baby-doll blouse. "What about this?"

"Nah, not my style," the picky witch replied.

And so it continued. The trio embarked on browsing through nearly the entire store: the sales representative would pick out a cute article of clothing, C.C. would shoot it down, and Lelouch would trail behind still muttering about her bridge escapade.

Just when it seemed like the sales representative was about to break down her polite mask and kick the two immortals out of the store, C.C. had nothing negative to say about the latest clothing item.

"So what do you think? Form fitting, simple, and elegant. I believe that's the style you like?" The woman encouraged, her hair beginning to fray at the ends.

She stared at the red dress, mulling it over in her head. "I don't hate it," C.C. finally decided. "I'll try it on." She grabbed the dress by it's hanger and proceeded to head towards the fitting room.

"I apologize for my partner's...well everything," Lelouch began.

"Just go follow your girlfriend," the woman cut him off, massaging the bridge of her nose with two fingers.

"She's not my girlfrien−ah, never mind I'm not going to bother," He nodded once, then strode into the fitting room and plopped into a chair outside of C.C.'s stall.

Fortunately for him, C.C. changed at the speed of light compared to how long it took her to find something acceptable.

She whipped open the dividing curtain and looked expectantly at him. "What do you think?" She questioned in a dull monotone.

For a moment, Lelouch didn't quite know what to say. The dress was strapless, falling slightly above her knees, and tied together by a large white bow below her breasts. It was red as a ripe apple, contrasting sharply against C.C.'s pale, ivory skin. Maybe it was the way the light framed her face, or maybe it was because she had taken off her wig and the lime green was refreshing, or maybe, it was even how she appeared so conspicuously uncomfortable. Yes, the dress was pretty, and yes she was pretty in the dress, but more importantly...she herself was pretty.

Hell, she could have thrown on a potato sack and managed to pull it off.

He didn't know how long he had stayed mute, awkwardly staring. Thankfully C.C. didn't notice, or for that matter care.

"Wait, are you wearing your white button-down shirt?"

Lelouch looked down to see the white collar peeking out of his jacket. "Yes...why?"

"Give it to me," she commanded, almost brightly.

His mouth fell open agape. "No way! What will I wear then? Why don't you just buy that dress?"

The immortal girl clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. "While it is true that I do not hate this dress, I like wearing your white shirts much more. You can just keep your jacket on all the time or buy yourself a nice new t-shirt," C.C. reasoned, knowing just how to get her way. "After all...you were the one who didn't have the strength to pull me up and let little me fall off a bridge and into freezing, torrential waters..."

It was the icing on the cake, and she knew it.

"That was_ not_ what happened! You cannot turn this one on me," he complained.

"I'm actually not lying this time though," C.C. said in a sing-song voice.

With a long, resigned sigh...Lelouch started fumbling with his top buttons.

**On a typical Valentine's Day, there was always a romantic dinner. **

His entire mouth felt like it was coated in slippery grease. In actuality, it probably was. He flicked his tongue towards the roof of his mouth in an attempt to dilute the thick oils. He could never understand her obsession with the combination of processed cheese, stale tomato sauce, and chewy dough. With a frown edging onto his lips, Lelouch picked up a napkin and dabbed it on top of his pizza. When he peeled it off from the sticky cheese, the napkin sagged from the orange oils it was now saturated in.

"Lovely," he commented, wrinkling his nose.

"What's the matter Lelouch? It's not like the pizza grease would go straight to your thighs anymore," C.C. said in between bites of her own meal.

"How reassuring," Lelouch responded dryly. "Though, I was more concerned about the taste, eating this pizza is like taking gulps of saltwater from the ocean."

Not to his surprise, C.C. waved him off. "It is not, I would know. You always like to exaggerate and be all dramatic. Don't complain, it's half off for couples today."

"I didn't know that our relationship of 'Pizza Supplier' and 'Pizza Consumer' was what counted as a couple these days," he said sarcastically, but, felt his heart thump when she matched her eyes with his. She wasn't anything that was remotely close to upset, instead, she impassively watched him like how a cat would have stared at traffic.

It didn't sound so bad in his head. It wasn't even supposed to be so bad out loud. It was just...something about the way she reacted, no− the way she _didn't_ react, that made him feel as if he had done something wrong.

"I didn't...I didn't think that..." he trailed off, unsure of what to actually apologize for.

C.C. shrugged, looking away from him. "Yes, I agree, I didn't think that Pizza Hut would have fallen so deeply into Valentine's Day fever as well." She plucked a heart-shaped pepperoni, which Lelouch noted had a pool of oil in the center, and nibbled on it.

"Huh?" Lelouch's chest deflated as he exhaled the air that he didn't realize he had held in. "Oh, um...yes, true. Valentine's Day was always such a troublesome holiday."

She smirked, twirling a lock of brown hair around her finger. "Girls throwing hand-made chocolate at you, flocking to you to steal a kiss, and proclaiming sappy confessions: your life was horrid."

"Tch," he rolled his eyes, "That better not be sarcasm because it really was horrid."

The amusement lingered in her smile, but she didn't say anything more and focused her attention on devouring her pizza.

**On a typical Valentine's Day, it was celebrated between two people who were special to each other. **

The clouds could no longer be individually distinguished, enveloping the city like a large grey blanket. Temperatures had dropped even lower since the sun set, causing Lelouch to involuntarily shiver as soon as he stepped out of the restaurant. With every exhale, Lelouch could see his breath condense into wispy puffs of air.

He peered through his eyelashes and up towards the sky. White clumps were spiraling down in disorganized loops, some catching in his wig and others whizzing right past his face. "It's snowing," he commented idly.

Beside him, C.C. upturned her palms and watched as a few snowflakes immediately melted at her warmth.

"I do not know why snow is white, but I do find such white snow beautiful," Lelouch suddenly said.

The girl blinked at him. "Where did that come from?"

"Not sure...it just felt right to say, that's all," Lelouch confessed.

"I see, maybe the snow is white because that is the color that suits it best," she said, speaking more to herself than to him. "Anyways, let's go home," she continued, leading the way and occasionally twirling in purposeless pirouettes.

Lelouch didn't follow right away. He observed her as she moved down the street, hands fastened behind her back and long, brown wig swishing behind her. Once she reached a streetlamp she spun around on her heel, tilting her head to the side. "You're not coming? Have you grown a secret attachment to Pizza Hut?"

"Not even in your dreams," he retorted as he started walking towards her. When there was a few feet of distance between them, he stopped again.

"What's the matter, Lelouch?" C.C. furrowed her brow in mild confusion.

She was bathed in the soft light of the streetlamp, snowflakes sparkling in her wig as the snow began to fall more heavily.

Green hair suited her better, definitely. It would match nicely with his blue scarf that she insisted on still wearing. Like how it did with the red dress she returned back to the poor sales lady. He could feel the weight of her eyes piercing questions into him. "Golden pools of honey that the sun had melted in," was far too cheesy for his taste. In spite of his talent with eloquent words, he didn't know how to describe her eyes either. They were warm and cold, alive and aloof, thoughtful and rude: all at the same time.

"White doesn't suit snow the best," Lelouch blurted out. "I believe all the colors do, a rainbow so to speak."

C.C. raised an eyebrow in surprise, but let out a short laugh. "Oh really?"

"Yes really," Lelouch affirmed. He looked down at his feet, scuffing his toes into the wet layer of slush that had started to build up. "Back in Pizza Hut, I didn't mean...what I said."

"You're my..." he carried on, racking his brain for answers. "You're my..." he repeated, but was still unable to formulate a response. He lifted his head towards her and was overcome with a foreign warmth in his chest. If he had to be with someone for the rest of eternity, he was oddly grateful that it was her. Only she could turn any typical, mundane day, even stupid Valentine's Day, into a strange adventure.

"Witch."

Lelouch wrinkled his nose. "Come again?"

"I'm your witch," C.C. supplied again.

"And I'm your warlock," he added automatically.

She smirked and closed the distance between them, taking his hand in hers. "Since I took some of your clothing we're no longer fairly distributed," she explained as she wove their fingers together. "Let's go home. I want to build a snowman in the front yard."

He stared in surprise at their interlocked fingers. She didn't let him finish his thoughts, as always, having it her way. One day, he would complete his sentence. After all, they literally had all the time in the world. For now, a "Happy Valentine's day," would suffice.

.

.

.

"Really? That's it? What a typical thing to say."


End file.
